Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tarragona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,774 in Tarragona, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Tarragona
Learn more

Tarragona Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tarragona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Tarragona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Tarragona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,774 in Tarragona.

Mexico City $1,608
Tarragona $1,774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,602 in Tarragona.

Mexico City $2,549
Tarragona $2,602

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,429 in Tarragona.

Mexico City $3,490
Tarragona $3,429

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 9% less than in Tarragona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Tarragona 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$17.82 €15.90

-40.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$60.0 €53.5

-19.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.19 €8.20

12.62%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.42 €2.16

52.48%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$31.23

$2.50 €2.23

-33.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$1.97 €1.76

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$3.25 €2.90

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$3.93 €3.51

35.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.26 €1.12

36.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.97 €1.76

54.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.47 €1.31

31.97%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$3.40 €3.03

-15.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$13.30 €11.87

-17.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$10.50 €9.36

-11.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$14.50 €12.94

4.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$2.84 €2.53

7.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$2.45 €2.19

-20.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.80 €2.50

-27.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$2.58 €2.30

-10.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.54 €1.38

32.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.89 €1.69

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.50 €1.34

-1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.68 €0.60

86.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$6.63 €5.91

-20.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$5.00 €4.46

222.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.97 €1.76

0.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$1.83 €1.64

132.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$1.70 €1.52

-81.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$27.24 €24.30

-27.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$3.98 €3.55

-53.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.52 €1.35

-65.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$21.90 €19.54

-75.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.81 €1.61

-16.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$35.8K €31.9K

-39.17%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$29.4K €26.2K

-18.45%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$63.0 MX$1,180

$128 €114

-50.61%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.39 MX$513

$23.01 €20.53

19.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$34.52 €30.80

3.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$60.4 €53.9

-2.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$23.62 €21.07

0.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.95 €7.99

-28.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$432 MX$8,088

$320 €286

34.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$103 €91.5

-33.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$32.90 €29.35

61.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$80.9 €72.2

33.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$89.0 €79.4

31.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$911 €813

22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$799 €713

-11.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$1,222 €1,090

111.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$1,168 €1,042

20.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$2,704 €2,412

34.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,289 €1,150

65.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$2,024 €1,806

-53.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.02

275.83%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tarragona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tarragona

$799 45.1% 12.5% $89

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tarragona

$287 16.2% 10.3% $33

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tarragona

$241 13.6% 21.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tarragona

$137 7.7% 11.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tarragona

$185 10.4% 46.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tarragona

$78 4.4% 9.2% $6.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tarragona

$46 2.6% 79.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $911 in Tarragona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tarragona pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $60 in Tarragona. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $287, with Tarragona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Tarragona

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

14:48 2:48 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

138,262

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Tarragona 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tarragona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mexico City vs Tarragona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,774 in Tarragona, so Mexico City is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $911 in Tarragona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 28% less than in Tarragona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $320 in Tarragona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Tarragona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.